Vegetarian diet is extremely effective in overweight

Risk for secondary diseases decreases

Very overweight people often suffer from chronic inflammation. This in turn favors the development of cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes and cancer. A predominantly plant-based diet can counteract such inflammatory processes, a study by the German Institute for Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbrücke (DIfE) has revealed.

The scientists had systematically evaluated 29 works from the past seven decades. A total of 2,700 people between the ages of 28 and 68 were involved, most of whom were overweight. In some studies, the subjects were randomly divided into two groups. Group A should be mainly vegetarian with a lot of fruit, vegetables, cereals and legumes. But it could also be small amounts of meat, eggs, dairy products and fish on the menu. Group B followed a control diet. After half the study period, the groups were changed. Before and after the "treatment", the doctors examined the blood for various inflammatory markers.

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The body's own fat, especially in the abdomen and internal organs, has an increased metabolic activity. It releases so-called adipokines. Some of these signal molecules promote inflammatory processes and thus increase the risk of secondary diseases. The evaluation of the data has shown that a plant-based diet in overweight can significantly improve the inflammatory profile. Compared to the control diet, the levels of the inflammatory marker C-reactive protein (CRP) decreased by an average of 0.55 mg / l and those of interleukin-6 by 0.25 ng / l.

There is still no secured explanation for this positive influence. The effect is most likely not due to individual foods or nutrients, but to the complex nutritional pattern. A loss of weight due to the plant-based diet can also reduce the inflammatory processes in the body. Heike Kreutz, aid